Agreement by Cobrasoft via sxc.hu
Relationships are not built without communication – real communication. Your communication should demonstrate genuine empathy for your customers’ needs which will be the basis for building a mutually beneficial relationship with them.
Another key aspect of building a solid, lasting relationship with your customers will be the attitude you display toward them, and your mindset in dealing with them. Continue reading
In every process there needs to be a box marked other.
Start of the unexpected incident, end of incident. Review why this didn’t fit the mould. Review how this can be avoided in future.
Unpredictable things happen, but you can have a process for handling kinds of unexpected things.
An emergency kit.
A library of partial plans and resources.
Don’t just call it random and wait for it to happen before picking up the pieces, and pulling together a solution.
The last stage of the “other” process is to ask “Why was this not covered by the normal process?“
Expectation management is key – if the system or process is not performing as expected, there are two divergent causes. Either the system is not performing correctly, or the user expectation is incorrect. Continue reading
The SCAMPER framework is one approach to problem solving and brainstorming. It applies seven activities to the situation, and can be applied at either the macro or micro-level. Continue reading
Computer on fire by Alexmuse, via flickr.com
Prioritising incidents is complex, particularly in a multi-faceted system with a range of users.
This can boil own to a repetitive cycle of “So what?” until the measurable, business oriented impact of the incident can be understood. Once it is understood it can be isolated from the system or support impacts of the incident.
When a support operation becomes too distanced from the actual users they support this chain of “So what?” grows ever longer.
The traditional matrix calculation of impact vs probability must be based on objective, knowledgeable and current information, not on assumptions and outdated historical perspectives.
